This invention relates to an electrical connector device, and in particular, to an connecting member for connecting a wiring member such as a flexible printed circuit (FPC), a flexible flat cable (FFC) and others to an electrical device such as a printed circuit board.
A known connecting member of the type is described, for example, in Japanese Unexamined Utility Model Publication, JP-U-5-6759.
In the JP-U, an electrical connector and a slide insulator are disclosed as a connecting member for connecting a wiring member such as FPC, FFC, or others to a printed circuit board. FPC and FFC will be collectively referred to as a flat cable, hereinafter. The electrical connector is mounted on a printed circuit board. An end of FPC is inserted together with a slide insulator into the electrical connector and is mechanically and electrically connected to the electrical connector. In the case, the slider insulator is used as the connecting member for connecting the FPC to the electrical connector mounted on the printed circuit.
The electrical connector comprises a base insulator, a holddown for fixedly holding the base insulator mounted on the printed circuit board, a slide insulator combined with the base insulator, and a plurality of conductive contact fitted in the base insulator to be brought into contact with the FPC.
The FPC is inserted together with the slide insulator into an insert cavity formed in the base insulator. At this time, conductive patterns of the FPC are faced to contacting portions of the contacts in one-to-one correspondence. Simultaneously, the FPC is pressed by a plate portion of the slide insulator. Thus, the conductive patterns are brought into contact with contacting points of the contacting portions in one-to-one correspondence.
With the above-mentioned structure, the FPC is put into contact with the contacting points under a pressing force of the plate portion to be simply clamped between the plate portion and the contacting portions having elasticity. Therefore, the FPC can be unfortunately easily released from the electrical connector if it is pulled in a releasing direction.
In view of the above, it is proposed to design the electrical connector such that the contacting portions of the contacts have strong elastic force sufficient to obtain increased contacting force. On the other hand, the electrical connector is generally desired to have a compact structure such that the contacts are fitted in the base insulator of a small size with a very high density. Therefore, each of the contacts comprises a thin plate having a reduced thickness and a small size and can not have such strong elastic force as desired.
In the electrical connector, it is also desired to easily connect and disconnect the FPC to the connector mounted on the printed circuit.